Registering-lock.



PATENTED FEB. 19, 1 907.

B. F. WELLS. REGISTERING LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV 13 1906 W/ T/VESSES IS m'rmm, wunmm'au. n. c.

PATENTED FEB. 19, 1907.

E. F. WELLS. REGISTERING LOOK.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV. 13,1906.

SHEET 2v 2 SHEETS VI/ZT/VESSES UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTGE.

ELISIIA'FORD WELLS, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHNNEWTON LUMMUS, OF MIAMI, FLORIDA.

REGISTERING-LOCK- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1907.

Application filed November 13,1906. Serial No. 343,264.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ELIsHA FORD WVELLs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Miami, in the county of Dade and Sta=.e of Florida, haveinvented a new and useful Registering-Lock, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to registering-locks, and has for its principalobject to provide a novel form of lock which maybe opened by a largenumber of keys of different shape, each bearing a number or otherdesignating character, the lock being so constructed as to automaticallyregister the number of the key last used to open it.

A further object of the invention is to construct a lock in which afterthe tumblers or other locking devices have been moved to release thebolt or shackle it will be impossible to remove the key from thelock-casing until after the number of the key has been registered.

A still further object of the invention is to improve and simplify theconstruction of locks of this type and to provide mechanism whereby theregistering devices are automatically restored to zero or initialposition immediately after the unlocking has been accomplished andbefore the registering operation takes place.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved formof lock in which the bolt or similar member is held from movement by apivoted tumbler or locking device which must first be raised before thebolt can be withdrawn.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafterappear, the invention consists in certain novel features of constructionand arangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be madewithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a lockconstructed in accordance with the invention, the outer cap-plate orcover being removed and the shackle being locked. Fig. 2 is a similarview showing the initial operation of the key in moving the bolt-tumblerto the released position.- Fig. 3 is a face view of a portion of thestructure shown in Figs. 1 and 2, drawn to a somewhat larger scale andshowing the shackle unlocked. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of thebolt-locking tumbler detached. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the lockon the line 5 5 of Fig. 1 drawn to an enlarged scale. Fig. 6 is a detailview of the end of the shackle and its locking-bolt, showing theoperation of the key in withdrawing the bolt. Fig. 7 is a detailperspective view of the rear faceof the locking-bolt. Fig. 8 is avertical section on the line 8 8 of Fig. 5, showing the operation of theregistering mechanism. Fig. 9 is a view of a portion of the edge of thelockcasing, showing the registering-segments and the display-openings atwhich the numerals of such segments are exposed to view. Fig. 10 is adetail perspective view of one of the registcling-segments. Fig. 11 isan elevation of one form of key which may be used. Fig. 12 is a similarview of a portion of another form of key.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The lock forming the subject of the present invention is designed toautomatically register the number of the key employed, and is especiallyadapted for use as a switch or sig nal lock where the train-hands andother employees may carry keys of different construction, each bearing adifferent number and all capable of opening the lock. In the presentinstance the lock is constructed to register keys from number 1 to 999,inclusive but by the addition of another indicating-segment the numberof keys can be increased to nine thousand nin'c hundred and ninety-nine,or by adding two additional segments the number of keys maybe increasedto ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.

The lock-casing 10 is shown as of the ordinary padlock form providedwith a pivoted shackle 11 of ordinary construction, although it is to beunderstood that the invention is applicable to other forms of locks, andthe shape and contour of the casing. as well as the character of theshackle or bolt, may be altered in any manner.

Fitting within the circular cavity of the lock casing is a curvedguide15, which follows the curved wall of the cavity and is in the formof an incomplete ring, the ends of which are spaced to admit the lockingend of the shackle and the locking mechanism proper. This ring isprovided With three peripheral grooves 16, which preferably are steppedin cross-secti'on, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, and mounted in thesegrooves are arcuate bars 17, one of which is shown in Fig. 10. Thesebars are provided with numerals, letters, -or other symbols, which areexposed through openings 18, formed in the edge of the lock-casing, andthe number exposed indicates the number of the key which was last usedin opening the look.

Projecting from one end of each of the indicating-bars 17 is an arm 18,the arms being arranged in lines substantially radial from the center ofthe casing and being adapted to be engaged by the bits of the keys 20,the keys being of different shape and so arranged that they will movethe arms and the indicating-bars to different distances for the purposeof exposing different numbers or groups of numbers at thedisplay-openings 18.

In order to prevent accidental displacement of the indicating-bars,especially where the locks are exposed to rough usage, each of the arms18 is provided with a slot in the upper face for the reception of afriction-pawl 20, the latter being acted upon by a spring 21, that tendsto force its outer endinto frictional engagement with the curved mnerwall of the lock-casing, and thus hold the indicating-bar in theposition to which it is moved by the key.

In the bottom of the cavity or recess of the casing is a restoringdevice in the form of a plate 21,that is pivoted on a stud or screw 22and is provided with an arm 23, arranged to engage the several arms 18,and in order that the restoring device may move the indicating-bars backto the initial position the arm 23 engages lugs 25, that project fromthe friction locking-pawls 20, so that the first efiect of the movementof the restoring device is to engage all of the friction-pawls and movethe same out of frictional contact with the lock-casing, after which thecontinued movement of the restoring device moves all of theindicator-bars to zero.

The restoring-plate 21 is connected by a link 26 to a spring 27, that ismounted on a suitable pin or stud 28, the spring tending normally tomove the plate 21 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 8.This movement is resisted, however, by a locking-pawl 30, pivoted on apin 31, that extends through an arcuate slot 32, formed in the plate 21,and engages a series of ratchet-teeth 33, formed in the curved edge ofthe plate 21. Mounted on the pin 31 is an arm 34, that is in position tobe engaged by one of the bits of the key as the latter is turned, sothat during or slightly after the unlocking operation the key-bit,riding under the arm 34 will lift the outer end of the same, therebyturning the pin 31, thus disengaging the pawl 30 from the teeth 33 andreleasing the rest0ringplate 21, which Will be turned for the purpose ofmoving all of the indicating-bars to the zero position in advance of theengagement of the bits of the key with the arms 18.

The free end of the shackle is provided with an opening for thereception of a locking-bolt 40, that is pressed toward locking positionby a suitable spring 41, and said bolt has a projection 43, that isarranged to be engaged by one of the bits of the key during theunlocking operation. On the upper face of the bolt is a lug 44, whichenters a stepped locking-recess 45, formed in a spring-actuated tumbler46, the latter being normally held in bolt-locking position by a spring47. This tumbler has a depending projection 48, so arranged as to beengaged by one of the bits of the key in advance of the movement of thebolt, the tumbler being first raised in order to release the bolt, andon continued movement of the key the bolt is withdrawn from the openingin the shackle.

Each of the keys is provided with bits for engaging the tumbler, thebolt, and the arm 34 and also is provided with bits for engagement withthe several arms 18 of the indicator-bars.

The bits are designated, for convenience, A, B, C, D, E, and F, theelements B and D being precisely the same in all of the keys. The bit Dis arranged to engage with the projection 48 of the tumbler 46 and movethe same upward to release the bolt, while the bit B is arranged toengage with the projection 43 for the purpose of withdrawing the boltfrom the shackle. The bit B also engages with the arm 34 immediatelyafter the unlocking operation and moves said arm for the purpose ofreleasing the locking-pawl 30 and permitting the movement of therestoring disk or plate 21 by the spring 27, so that the arm 23 of therestoring device may move all of the indicating-bars to the initial orzero position.

In the operation of unlocking the key is inserted through the face-plateand is fitted on the key-post 50, the latter being located at one sideof the axis of the curved indicator-bars. The key is turned to the rightor clockwise from the position shown in Fig. 1 toward the position shownin Fig. 2 and during this movement will raise the tumbler to release thebolt. On further movement in the same direction the key engages theprojection 43 of the bolt in the manner shown in Fig. 6 and moves thesame from the full-line position to the dotted-line position in Fig. 6.After passing beyond this dotted-line position the key cannot be turnedbackward; but

IIO

must make a complete rotation before it can be withdrawn. the key bringsthe bit D into engagement with the arm 34, swinging the latter from thefull-line position to the dotted-line position of Fig. 8, and thisreleases the pawl 30 and allows the spring 27 to move the restoringplate21 from the full-line to the dotted-line position. During this movementthe arm 23 of the restoring-plate engages the lugs 25 of thefriction-pawls and moves the same to a position to release theindicating-bars and then continuing the movement turns all of theindicating-bars to the initial or zero position. (Indicated by dottedlines in Fig. 8.) As the turning movement of the key is continued thebits A, C, and E, which diil'er in the several keys, engage one or moreof the arms 18 of the indicator-bars and move said bars a distancedetermined by the shape and length of the bits, and the extent of thismovement is indicated by the numerals exposed through the openings 18 atthe edge of the lock-casing. Key No. 1 will engage only one of the arms18 and will move the latter a very short distance, while key No. 2 willengage the same arm, but move the indicator-bar a further distance. Allthe keys bearing two numberssuch, for instance, as 10, 23, 99, &c., willengage two of the arms 18, and all of the keys bearing three numeralswill engage all three of the arms, the lock in the present instancebeing so constructed as to register the numbers of all keys from 1 to999.

By the addition of arother indicatiPg-bar and arother bit on each keythe lock may be made to register the niimber of all keys up to 9,999, orby the addition of two bars and two hits the lock may be made toregister all keys from 1 to 99,999.

I claim 1.. In an indicator-lock, a movable indicator havilfg aniiiwardly-extending arm, a sprirg-actrated restoring-plate havirg aprojectirg memlier arrarged to engage said arm, said restorirg memberbeing provided with ratchet-teeth, a pawl engaging said ratchet-teeth,and meal-is engageable by an iztserted key for movilig said pawl out ofengagement with the ratchet-teeth in advance of each registerinoperation.

2. In an indicator-lock, a casing having a display-opening, a phiralityof itICUZLtC indicator-bars, each having an inwardly-extend- Slightfurther movement of.

ing arm, a pivotally-mounted restoring-plate having a projecting memberarrarged to en gage all of said arms, said plate lieirg provided withratchet-teeth, a spring for actuatirg the plate, a pawl ergaging theteeth and holdiztg the restoring device from movement, and an armconnected to said pawl and 'arranged in the path of movement of one ofthe bits of an inserted key.

3. In an indicatorlock, a plurality of ar- CTiLtC intzicator-bars eachprovided with an inwardly-extent irg arm, a restorirg-plate littizgwithin the casirig and PIOXliitXl with ratchet teeth, an arm projectiigfrom the restori; g-plate and arrarged to ergage the in (Heater-arms, aspring tendii. to act"; ate said restorirg-plate, a pawl ergagi'ig theratchetteeth, and an arm corrected to said pawl and arrarged to beengaged by the bit of an inserted key 4. In an indicator-lock, aplrrality of arcuate indicator-bars, each havirg an inwardly-extendirgarm, mears for gridirg said bars, a pivotally-mounted restoringplatehavirg a projecting arm arrarged to engage the indicator-arms, meats foractuatsaid restori g-plate, irietion-pawls carried by the in mater-arms,an d provid d with h' gs proieetirg therefrom and arranged to be engagedby the restoririg-arm in advance of the returning movement of saidindieator-bars.

5. In an indicator-lock, a ph rality of indicator-bars havhwardlyprojectirg arms, lrietio -pawls carried by said arms and eachPIOVIQOil with a inojcctirg 11g, and a restorirg device arraziged toengage with the lugs to eil'ect release of the pawls before the returnig movemelit of the indicator-b ars.

6. In an indicator-lock, a casii g having a display-operirg at the edge,a ct rved g1 ide within. the casing and pro\ riled with a phirality olarcr ate slots, (Heater-bars mounted in said slots and provraed with iwardly-extendirg arms arranged to be 02 ged 011 one side by the keys,and a restoriig device for enga the opposite sides of the bars andmoviig the same backward to zero position.

In testimoify that I claim the l oregoiiig as my own I have heretoallixed my signature in the presence of two witi'esses.

ELISI-IA FORD ELLS.

l/Vi tresses:

ROY A. MeLEoD, J. I. WVILsoN.

